Tonda - Showcase for ice creams

The Tonda ice cream display case was born from the dream of giving life to a display case different from all the others, a display case that could give ice cream a magical display, with the same joyful soul of the product intended to preserve and that would bring a fresh breath of innovation in a context that, although technologically in constant evolution, had not offered breakthrough innovations for over sixty years. A showcase capable of arousing those emotions which, like ice cream and the childhood universe it represents, make everyone children, but which at the same time marked a leap forward also from the technological, usability, protection for the environment and for the health of operators. We are at the beginning of the third millennium.

The man who dreams of a magical showcase is Gianfranco Tonti ‒ then CEO of Ifi – who consolidates a first-rate technical and scientific team around him and calls on an internationally renowned designer to give substance to his desire for the pleasure of experimentation and refined design qualities: Makio Hasuike. The idea around which 24 professionals including engineers, chemists, electricians, prototypists work intensely, with passion and dedication, shaping the laws of thermodynamics, advanced information technology and applying the knowledge of the deepest Italian culture, comes to fruition with the simple but extremely elegant appearance of a round showcase, the first conceptual revolution from the “classic” showcases of the 1960s.

A showcase where the ice cream turns in a colorful carousel, to be savored with the eyes before indulging in the pleasure of taste. The great ice cream book had turned a page. What seemed impossible had been achieved: the ideal synthesis between the best preservation of ice cream, that of the cockpit counters, and the visual emotion of ice cream in traditional display cases, in a work of cutting-edge industrial design for ergonomics and comfort, also designed for the health of the operator, who now no longer has to expose the forearm to very cold temperatures, and to protect the environment thanks to the choice of materials and energy saving.
One of the historical fathers of Italian graphics, Michele Provinciali, who thus closes the perfect circle of Tonda, captures the soul of the new intellectual work and expresses it in an indelible sign.

A circle “traced” by a special compass, the Compasso d’Oro ADI which, in 2008, awarded Tonda the Report and awarded Michele Provinciali with the Compasso d’Oro for Lifetime Achievement.
Among the other awards obtained by Tonda, the title of highly innovative project for the categories to which it is addressed, by the Ministry of Productive Activities (together with the Platinum project to which it belongs), the Confindustria Award for Excellence and the inclusion in the Farnesina Design Collection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Tonda is the first round and rotating ice cream display case in history. Designed by the industrial designer Makio Hasuike in collaboration with the Ifi research and development department, it marks a memorable moment for the world of artisanal ice cream, preserving the flavors with the excellence of the wells and showing them to the public with the charm of a carousel of colors. The communication project of the Tonda is the work of the master of Italian graphics Michele Provinciali, with the collaboration of Mauro Filippini and Francesco Pellizzari.

An IFI icon, Tonda tells a dream come true in over sixty countries around the world thanks to the alchemy of a playful vision and cutting-edge technology, never seen before in the world of artisanal ice cream. The first round and rotating display case in history, capable of giving ice cream the joyful dimension of the childhood universe that belongs to it, is in fact an ideal synthesis between the perfect conservation of ice cream in the well-shaped counters and the emotional display of flavors, a prodigy of technology and quality that earned her an ADI Compasso d’Oro Award, the call to be part of the Farnesina Design Collection and, above all, the unconditional love of more and more artisan gelato makers all over the world. What are these qualities?

It is a large cockpit, that perfectly preserves the ice cream and gives maximum visibility of the flavors from every angle, even for children;
the circular movement of the trays, the hermetic closure and the advanced ventilation system guarantee the uniformity of the temperature between the trays, avoiding the ice cream maker to map the display case based on temperature differences;
is equipped with an RDF system to reduce the number of defrosts, which are activated based on the actual opening time of the showcase, to the advantage of ice cream conservation;
is designed for ergonomics and the well-being of the operator: it is not the ice cream maker who moves to take the flavors, but the Tonda who takes it under his hands at his command, in a maximum of 4.5 seconds, thanks to the possibility of driving the rotation clockwise or counterclockwise, with an electronic control pedal or manual. The operator maintains a vertical, totally natural posture, without being forced to bend the upper part of the torso over the ice cream (also hygienic aspect), thus avoiding back problems;
protects the health of the operator, which avoids bringing the hand and forearm into an environment at a temperature between -12 ° and -20 °, the cause of occupational diseases (arthritis and arthrosis) for those in charge of serving tub ice cream;
thanks to the hermetic closure, to the greater insulation and to the intelligent defrosts, Tonda guarantees a energy saving up to 25%, contributing to the protection of the environment;
in the version with incorporated motor, the provision of wheels allows the easy movement of the shop window inside and outside the room.